The present invention relates generally to clocks and more particularly to a clock having a striking mechanism which, at the hour, strikes a chime rod, bell or the like a predetermined number of times corresponding to the particular hour position of the clock's hour hand and which also strikes at fractions of the hour.
Conventionally, a clock which strikes the hour comprises a striking mechanism having striking means for causing a sound and control means which limits strikes to a predetermined number corresponding to the particular hour position of the clock's hour hand. Typically, such control means includes a snail cam having 12 steps and rotated in synchronism with rotation of the hour hand shaft. Conventionally, to synchronize the rotation of the snail cam with the hour hand shaft, the snail cam was mounted on the hour hand shaft. A drawback to this arrangement was that the snail cam, and associated structure in the striking mechanism, had to be mounted in front of the clock mechanism, thereby, of necessity, increasing the thickness dimensions of the clock, which was undesirable from the standpoint of aesthetics and design flexibility.
Another drawback of such an arrangement was that the striking mechanism, or at least a substantial part thereof, had to be constructed integrally with the clock mechanism, rather than providing a striking mechanism which was separate and discrete from the clock mechanism. With separate and discrete mechanisms, the same clock mechanism can be used with or without a striking mechanism, thereby decreasing tooling and manufacturing costs compared to a less versatile clock mechanism.
A further drawback of the conventional arrangement described above was that it required a relatively large number of parts connected together in a complicated arrangement.